


it's plain to see (or: why you should always listen to winry)

by altoinkblots



Series: Edween 2020 [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edween Week 2020, Extended Scene, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Trick or Treat: Treat, spoilers for the nightmare before christmas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:08:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27229351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/altoinkblots/pseuds/altoinkblots
Summary: Ed is back, Christmas has been restored, and everything is as it should be. There's even snow, a quiet graveyard, and a confession.
Relationships: Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell
Series: Edween 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1988002
Comments: 8
Kudos: 19





	it's plain to see (or: why you should always listen to winry)

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Edween, folks! Today's prompt was "pumpkin," and because I play loosely with the prompts anyways, I say it fits because Ed is the Pumpkin King and because I say so. And, in continuing the fine tradition of "I Can't Title," we get this. It's accurate (if you've seen the movie at least). Also: spoilers for the last scene in the movie. Other things are alluded to, but it's mainly that last scene. 
> 
> Enjoy!!

Winry had never seen snow before. She rather liked how it looked, sparkling against the light of the moon. But it soaked in between her threads and made it hard to sneak away from everyone congratulating Ed on coming back alive.

Winry smiled to herself. She  _ was _ glad Ed was okay and that everything was back to the way it should be. She heard the witches laughing and the trick-or-treat children running around. She nearly stepped on a black cat that was half-buried in the snow. Their great Pumpkin King was back and everything would be okay.

Her feet took her to the graveyard, to Ed’s hill that curved around. Snow had completely blanketed Halloweentown by now, including the graveyard, and icicles hung from his hill. Winry plucked a flower, one that hadn’t been buried by the snow. She clambered over the crumbling gate and climbed the hill. The moon was full behind her.

She sat down. The nice thing about being a rag doll was that she didn’t get cold, but if she stayed in the snow for any longer than she’d get soaked. Still, she didn’t mind. Ed was home, and that was all that mattered. Halloween next year would be incredible. 

Snow crunched behind her. Winry didn’t have to turn around to know who it was. She played with the flower, absentmindedly picking petals and letting them fall to the snowy ground. The snow had stopped falling, and now the night was cool and bright, the moonlight glinting off of the powdered blanket. 

“Hey, Win.”

Winry put the flower in her lap and sighed. “Hey,” she said without turning around.

“Mind if I join you?”

Winry glanced back at Ed. His red coat was gone, replaced by his normal black and white pinstriped suit. Maybe she would make him another red coat sometime, he had looked good in it. His arms were folded close to his body. Zero flitted around him, glancing between him and Winry.

She shrugged. “Sure.”

Ed stepped over the gate and walked up next to her. She didn’t make any sort of movement to get up, twisting the flower stem in her lap. He sat down next to her, just staring at her. Winry tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

“You were right.”

Winry looked over at him. How a skull could be so expressive she had no idea, but she could see the emotions flitting across his face as clear as day. She smiled softly at him. “It all worked out in the end.”

“Yeah, but still. I screwed up. I… threw everything out of whack, and most importantly, I worried you.”

“That’s true, you did.”

“How can I make up for it?”

“You don’t have to--”

“Winry, please. Let me make it up to you.”

Winry met his eye sockets. She reached out and took his hand that rested on top of the snow. “Ed. You’re fine. Stop beating yourself up over everything.”

“Yeah, but you tried to fix my mess, Win.”

“That’s because you were too thick-headed to think straight,” Winry said, poking at his skull. Ed snorted. Winry cupped his jawbone with her hand. Ed closed his eyes and leaned into the touch.

“You’re incredible. You know that, right?”

“I had an inkling.”

They sat like that for a long time. Zero settled on Winry lap, nuzzling his nose into her stomach. Both Winry and Ed laughed.

Ed fell quiet, looking up at the moon. “I’ll make it up to you. I’ll make it up to everyone. Next year’s Halloween is going to be bigger and better than ever before.”

Winry poked him in the shoulder. “Don’t do that to yourself.”

“Do what?”

“Push yourself too hard. Weren’t you only telling me last year about how much burnout you had?”

Ed fumbled for his words. “Yeah, but now it’s different--”

“Besides, you’re the Pumpkin King. I’m sure people will love whatever you do. Just look around at the vampires kicking around the shrunken head. And the mayor is going around trying to get everyone to re-elect him. It’s  _ Christmas _ and they’re happy. All because of  _ you. _ ” She poked him again for good measure.

“What did I do to deserve you?”

“Made Christmas in Halloweentown.”

Ed burst out laughing, leaning on Winry for support. Winry smiled, watching him laugh. It had been far too long since he had been genuinely happy.

Ed wiped at his eye sockets even though no tears had fallen out. Winry turned back to the flower in her lap and started picking petals off, letting them flutter and rest on top of the snow. Ed reached out to catch a petal and placed it on top of her head. She snorted, leaning into his shoulder. Ed brought his arm around her other shoulder. 

“Oh, my dearest friend,” he breathed out into the night.

If Winry had a heart, it would have stopped. Instead, she turned around. “Do you want to get out of here?”

Ed grinned. “Yes.”

He stood up and held a skeleton hand out to her. She took it and stood up, brushing the petals off of her skirt. Zero flew around them before zooming off into the graveyard. Winry didn’t let go of Ed’s hand. He looked down at her and rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. 

Winry tugged on his hand. “Are we going?”

Ed didn’t move. “Just… give me a moment.” His eye sockets were as big as the moon and as dark as the night, but there was nothing but warmth in his gaze.

Winry turned her head to the side, a smile playing at her lips. “What?”

Ed brought her hand up and kissed her knuckles. He took a step towards her. “Let’s go.”

“Anywhere?”

Snow started to gently fall around them. Ed grinned, the moonlight almost blinding against his skull. “Anywhere.”

His hill curled outwards, snow and icicles falling from it. They walked down, hand in hand, and into the forest together. 

“Do you want to know something?” Ed asked.

“What?”

“You’re basically my only friend.”

“I know.”

“So thanks for not leaving me behind.”

Winry squeezed his hand. “Never.”

“Never ever?”

The orange light of Zero’s nose appeared out of nowhere through the trees, barking for Ed. Ed called out to him, a smile on his face. 

Winry leaned into his shoulder. “Never ever.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave a comment/kudos if you liked it!!


End file.
